The problem to be solved is that the processes for manufacturing a block of material that imitates natural stone use at least one chemical binder among cement, lime, plaster, various polymerizable glues or resins or various reactive acids.
But these binders, which can be found in the final composition of the block of material, do not exist in the natural original stone that is imitated. For example, the process described in patent FR2672535 uses at least one of these binders.
Therefore, a person skilled in the art can easily recognize the authenticity of a natural stone produced in a quarry with respect to a block of material reconstructed using these processes. The imitation is not satisfactory.
The natural stone most commonly used for construction is derived from lime or sandstone, it is a metamorphic rock. This means that it is a sedimentary rock produced by the compaction, the solubilisation, the deformation, the recrystallisation and the dehydration of materials transported in the form of particles dissolved or in suspension in the water. The formation of the lime or of the sandstone takes place over thousands of years, under the combined influence of pressure, temperature variations and solubility in water. The lime is mainly made of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. The carbonic gas dissolved in the rain water percolates through the geological layers. It reacts with the calcium or magnesium carbonate and forms the calcium or magnesium bicarbonate, which is more soluble in water. When it recrystallizes in the form of carbonate, it seals the adjacent calcareous or siliceous sand grains to form a continuous block of stone.
This complex process forms the endogenous binder of the natural stone.
For the noble construction of mansion houses or architectural buildings, the materials used are natural stones produced in the quarries. In this case, the problem to be solved is that this extraction requires the use of heavy sawing and operation means, with important material losses. Furthermore, the transport, handling and laying of these natural stones for this type of construction require a qualified workforce, which is both rare and expensive.